Looking Glass
by at-a-glance
Summary: It wasn't that she was uncertain of the truth, it was just that she wanted to know it was real. Sadly, sometimes it's better to leave well enough alone. PrePP
1. Chapter 1 Down, Down, Down

_Oh my God, I'm alive, yes I know I shouldn't even be thinking about starting a new story what with everything I haven't touched. But don't fret because this one is finished, see that's where I've been, I was determined absolutely determined to finish a story before posting it. And here is the result and I hope that you all enjoy it._

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Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly. 

_(Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)_

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Dead. That was all they ever told her and as the days turned to weeks and weeks into months she started to believe them. The meaning of the word never became as clear to her as it did now. Now it made sense, now it had depth, now it wasn't just a word anymore or a deep fear. 

He was dead. He'd been dead for a long time and she was wrong all along. There was no Danny, he'd been long gone and nothing she could say or do would ever bring him back. Suddenly the word dead seemed so real it was like it never existed till Mrs. Fenton sat Sam down and told her that they were calling off the search and they were letting the matter rest from there.

And they declared Daniel James Fenton, age sixteen, officially dead. Case closed, end of story. That was that.

There was a beautiful funeral only a week after that. It was a very strange funeral for Sam, looking at the coffin and knowing there was nothing in there except the tattered bloody sweatshirt left behind by Danny the day he disappeared. They put up a little plaque in the school for Danny; it sits there still with the trophies in the glass case that no one ever notices.

And people eventually got over it, Tucker, Jazz, and the Fentons. All the ends were tied up, whatever happened to Danny was no longer the number one thing barring down on their minds. Tucker and Jazz guessed it was a ghost attack that finally ended him and coincidentally the Fenton parents did too.

And as the days got further away from when Danny was there well so did the pain and the questions. Sam, she didn't cry everyday like she always imagined she would. But the mind numbing questions still wracked her mind, what happened to Danny? If he was dead then why? And if he wasn't, then where could he be?

The more the days numbered up the more she became absolutely engrossed in her endless theories and ceaseless reasoning. And finally the day came where nineteen year old Samantha Manson decided to get to the actual truth. And there was only one way to do that.

She decided to venture into the land of the dead. There had to be some ghost that knew what happened to Danny. So one evening as she and Tucker were over the Fenton's house to see Jazz who'd returned for College for the weekend. Sam was able to sneak off to the basement.

"If he's dead, then what better place to start looking." Sam whispered as she pushed the green button to open the Fenton Portal. The green glow illuminated the room and she smiled.

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Tucker wasn't worried about Sam anymore, he wasn't worried when he dragged her to the Fenton's to see Jazz, and he wasn't worried when he didn't see her for days at a time. Because Sam had moved on, she told him she had, really she did.

And just because that little voice in the back of his mind screamed Sam was in trouble didn't mean he believed it over Sam. If he acted like he didn't believe in her, she'd never forgive him. If Tucker could just keep up the charade that he wasn't scared every day that'd she'd lose herself, he wouldn't be worried.

No he wouldn't be worried because Sam was fine, she wasn't in trouble. She was strong, but of course any idiot could see that she was in trouble. But really, she was okay, she was.

Tucker sipped his coffee and looked around at the table as the rest of the family chatted happily. "Hey, has anyone seen Sam?"

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_I promise this will most likely be fully posted by this weekend or at least the begining of next week. Have a happy new year._


	2. Chapter 2 Nonsense

_He was part of my dream, of course -- but then I was part of his dream, too _

_(Through The Looking Glass) _

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Darkness turned to light very quickly for Sam, when she opened her eyes a sudden jolt of pain shook her, and then was gone. A moment and it was over. Her memories were rather jumbled around and she couldn't remembered what happened, almost as though she'd blacked out. She looked about her to see her only means of transportation laying in a mess of twisted metal and smoking debris.

Some accident.

It was silent, the silence was unbearable. Sam found it strange, very strange that it was so silent. There had to have been a crash, she must've lost control, she never lost control. It was troubling that she couldn't recall the crash. And yet here she was amongst the wreckage and lost in the silence, that damn silence. Looking around she knew she was in the Ghost Zone, the eerie dead black sky told her all.

Sam paced, she paced because she was frustrated, she paced because her feet didn't make a sound when they stomped on the ground. The Ghost Zone was a whole new realm, she realized this, and things were going to be very different from the way they were back home. Sam would come to terms, she would, she'd need to in order to find Danny.

"Oh what a mess, what a mess." A tisking voice resounded from behind her, Sam whipped around and saw no one standing behind her.

Her violet eyes darted around the strange twisted dead forest she'd landed in. The strange green glow that lit the Ghost Zone was her only source of light and it was very effective it acted much like the sun, if the sun gave off a slight greenish tint. Still she saw no one and stared awkwardly and frightened amongst the menacing shadows. Something was near her, something was watching, and she couldn't find that something.

Luckily, the utility belt that held a few weapons was still snug against her waist and everything seemed undamaged, she prayed they were just as fine as they appeared. She fingered the Jack-o-ninetails nervously, if that thing spoke again she'd find it and get it. A shadow moved from tree to tree then disappeared. Maybe it wouldn't bother her again.

"Alright Sam,"She started."You're in a whole new world now, there's bound to be unimaginable, sketchy things. You can handle this."

Sam began walking away, she couldn't stand in that small clearing all day, or night, or whatever. She wasn't sure whether time mattered here or not, she wasn't really sure what did matter here. The only thing she decided that was worthwhile was just searching, endlessly if needed. Danny had to have been seen here within the past three years.

This was a forest, she decided that this patch of land was forest-like, if theses twisted black shapes with sharp dead branches that jutted out into the sky could be considered trees then she was in woodland area. If she could remember right, the Ghost Zone was composed of many lands that floated separately; most of them were dominated over by certain ghosts.

Her biggest challenge would be changing to another plateau. She might need help with her transportation destroyed, but she would cross that bridge when it came. Oh how much easier it would be if there were actual bridges, but given the idea that the Ghost Zone is supposed to be for ghosts, she guessed bridges wouldn't be all that useful.

Another problem would be the many enemies of Danny who resided here, who knew if they held a grudge against her? What could be better than striking down an old foe on your own turf? Sam knew she'd be a tempting target and was probably in great danger just by being here. But she needed to be, for Danny.

"Okay, I don't know where I'm going or where I am. If I can just find familiar land then I'll be set." Sam sighed taking cautious steps that still made her uneasy since she couldn't hear herself walking.

A grotesque looking wolf darted out in front of her. It looked as though it had just been torn apart, deep yellow lifeless eyes stared into hers for only a moment before it continued into the deeper shadows of the trees.

Sam found it rather peculiar that things could cast shadows without any sunlight, or that the entire sky was black but the entire place was lit in a greenish blue glow. Perhaps their sun was invisible, but she would never really know. Above her a few random ghosts floated along through the empty abyss that was the Ghost Zone sky, they looked very lonely.

Many things skittered and floated around her and she learned to let them pass, as long as they did nothing to her she would do nothing to them. After all, they were living things once and she respected them still, dead or alive. Hell she'd been in love with a ghost boy for most of her adolescent years.

Danny, the thought returned, she had to find him. But as Sam remembered she was suddenly struck with a new problem. Should she attempt to call his name, would he even hear her? Did voices carry in the Ghost Zone, footsteps didn't. And yet she heard herself talk, there was so little she knew of this place that it drove her mad.

She wondered how many of the laws of physics even applied here, if any did at all. Perhaps maybe they Ghost Zone had it's own set of rules. Oh the probables and improbables.

That was it; she would lose her mind doing this. The natural path she'd been walking on had neither winded or disappeared it seemed to continue endlessly. Sam wished desperately that she knew more about this realm before coming, but the idea reminded her of all the impossibilities that the thought came with.

The only one who could have a chance at guiding her through the Ghost Zone would be an actual ghost. And she didn't really know any ghosts, except maybe Danny or Clockwork. Sam shook her head, she swore, and confirmed that she would never utilize the time ghost for an exit strategy.

Because he wasn't, she realized now it was wrong for them to ever think that a ghost so generous should fall to their needs because they couldn't except reality. He'd saved her life twice through Danny that she knew of and if everyone got a second chance she figured she was in debt by now.

There was a strange sense of loneliness that took hold of her, doubled over with another feeling that she was being followed. The two sensations were almost unbearable in their strange blend to the point where she doubted her very existence. She wondered vaguely if this wasn't the only thing she'd come to doubt during this search.

Sam was overwhelmed to call for Danny, he'd always come when she called for him, it never failed.

And yet she knew somewhere within her that those days were over. She knew if she screamed for him he wouldn't come blazing forward from nowhere and stand before her ready to defend and protect her. She'd never appreciated that before, that he was so ready to lay his life down for her, and it killed her that she'd taken his willing self-sacrificing ways for granted.

Like it or not, she hadn't been as able as she'd loved to assert. And Danny respected her on that but he also made sure, damn sure, that she was always safe. And then one day he was gone and everything he'd ever done for her suddenly mattered, it took her so long to see how much he cared about her and maybe even loved her.

But Sam wasn't going to jump to conclusions that fast that was a leap probably a stretch even for her. But none of that matter because Danny was, after all, dead. She wasn't here to find him alive or get him to return in triumph to save the day with life in his body. She also wasn't here to find out if he loved her or not. No, she was here to prove that he was dead.

That was different, so much different then looking for someone alive. She figured thoughts of him still being alive were simple delusions of a teenaged mind, something she was much too old for now. The more adult thing for her to do was to accept that he was dead but since she was also very stubborn, she needed to see him or at least be told he drifted around here permanently.

And this didn't make her crazy, even though she knew she'd get an ear full from Tucker once she got back. Perhaps a lecture from Jazz and probably one from the Fenton's for stealing their equipment, again. But she knew they'd be, in their own way, glad that she'd gotten the truth for them. After all closure is best for everyone it'd be much easier to put Danny in the past that way.

"This isn't for me." She whispered. "This is for everyone."

"Is it for anyone?" A voice resounded back, the same one she'd heard when she arrived.

Sam paused, the hair standing on the back of her neck. There it was again, and it had been following her the whole way. Sam picked up speed walking faster and faster until she stumbled and landed upon something sharp. Upon further examination she realized in horror that it was metal, it was the debris from the Specter Speeder.

Had the path led her back to where she started? Was that even possible? This had to be an awful illusion played out by a malevolent ghost.

"This is a trick!" She screamed at the voice. "Stop now, if you don't want me here I'm trying to leave. But you have to let me." Sam wasn't entirely sure what she was yelling at and what it would do. In fact Sam was beginning to wonder if yelling at it was such a good idea at all.

Regret was abundant on her part, perhaps a side-affect of being in a place where the dead thrive. But like the ghosts and lonely wraiths that lived here, she would have to deal with her decisions and feel the sting of their consequences. Even if it meant being possibly devoured by an angry ghost.

"I simply asked a question." It replied rather benevolently, still Sam was going to take head with this. "Is it for _anyone_?"

Sam stayed a good distance from the trees and scanned the area vigorously with her eyes, she'd answer and keep it occupied and as soon as she saw it, she'd attack. "Look that isn't any of your business; please I'm just trying to find my way. Could you let me go?"

"Well I could, the question I suppose is if I would. But then again, what is _your_ way?"

Sam paused and again her fingers brushed against the Jack-o-Ninetails, she wasn't sure if this was a threat. "I'm not sure exactly of the way, but I'm looking for someone, who isn't here particularly."

The trees rustled for a moment then stopped. "If you don't have a way then it doesn't really matter which _way_ you're going. " It chuckled happily. "I wouldn't follow the paths, they never know really where they're going. To be quite honest I don't think they really care." It spoke as though it was actually gossiping about paths.

"So I would go down, since there's only one other way to go from there and that's up."

She blinked, even more confused at what it said. She wondered at what this creature was, this very jovial but deranged creature. "What are you talking about? There's no down."

"Well of course there is, if you jump off the ledge." It responded in a matter-of-factly way.

Sam's mouth hung open and her face twisted in a distorted fashion. She snorted at the trees knowing the creature was in there. "Are you mad?" She scoffed.

"It's quite possible."

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_Since tomorrow is friday and you're all super, I might be able to upload the next chapter tomorrow. But don't quote me, things do happen, but I'm certain. So_ _questions, comments, well that's what reviews are for._


	3. Chapter 3 Abysm

_And she tried to fancy what the flame of a candle is like after the candle is blown out, for she could not remember ever having seen such a thing. _

_( Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) _

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Fear struck Sam when she realized she was falling. Odd, it was quite odd that she was, she hadn't remembered jumping or being near a ledge. She couldn't remember even wanting to do what the ghost had said. She'd called it crazy, him to be more precise if her judgment was right. It terrified her that she'd obeyed, that she had done something so foolish all because he told her to.

It reflected how she was with Danny, if he had told her to jump she would, hell if he had told her to drive a knife through her stomach she would've. She loved and trusted him and she knew he'd never put her in any danger deliberately. But the ghost, it could've had it out for her very easily, and she remembered not trusting its judgment.

So why was she falling? She couldn't remember what she thought before she leaped off the edge, except maybe that she figured she had nothing else to lose.

Primarily she had nothing to fear because there was this strange lack of gravity yet it's presence was still there. But she'd fallen from heights in her world and it was fast, you couldn't think, there was no time. But here, when you fell you had time to look up and time to look down and even more time to let your thoughts gather before...

Well the actual landing was something lacking too, she expected a painful crash, and perhaps something in her would break. But she landed with a thud and only felt slight discomfort before getting back on her feet and brushing herself off.

"Well, that was anti-climatic." She said wryly. Her thoughts though were broken by a sad sort of song that echoed through the now rocky land.

It was beautiful really, the chords sounded as though they were plucked very timidly, making a very sweet sound that drifted along the dead air. Sam forgot all else and followed the music, she scrambled over the rocks that seemed as though they belonged to some mountainous region.

Finally she made it to a large open valley, where something blue sat in the middle it's back turned to her. And across the valley she saw a small fence with a single lonely gravestone held within it. Sam wandered across the surprisingly Earthly looking meadow and finally got a better look at just exactly who was playing the music.

"Wow didn't know you could write anything actually good." Sam remarked cruelly.

A very angry Ember whipped her head around and glared at Sam, but she didn't attack. Instead she simply turned around and continued playing the melody calmly. "You know, you're different in the Ghost Zone, if this were Amity Park you've blasted me with your guitar." Sam continued, she wasn't sure why she wanted to push Ember she just did.

She strolled in front of the ghost girl who kept her eyes off of Sam and on her guitar. "You're no fun. Why didn't you attack me?"

"It wouldn't be much fun." Ember replied after a wide span of silence. Her greens eyes flitted up to Sam for a moment, they were laughing at her. Seeing the confusion in the violet eyes she turned away. "Sit."

And Sam did so, she sat in the grass, well it felt like grass at least, but she wasn't sure how real it could've been. Sam watched Ember's cords reverberate which each pull from the ghost's pale blue tinted fingers. It wasn't her normal guitar, she realized, this was just a simple acoustic.

Sam looked to Ember and noticed something she'd never noticed before. Deep angry scars were coated all over her body; they looked as though they were caused by burns. Well if the shoe fits. "What did you mean by 'it wouldn't be much fun?'" Sam queried as Ember began strumming a few random bar chords.

"Because Dipstick," Good ol' Ember and her insults. "You aren't anything like you used to be. It was fun attacking someone with so much pride, now it's like throwing knives at a rag doll."

Sam narrowed her eyes at the dead musician. "You think this has to do with Danny?" She asked in pure amusement.

The girl never looked up. "That's why you're here right? Or is this some leisurely visit?"

"Well it's not...I mean I am looking for him. But just to prove he's dead." She defended weakly. "You know what; I don't have to explain myself to you. All I need to know is if you've seen him recently."

"Nope."

The music played on in a soft rhythmic fashion, in a repeating formation. One two three, one two three. Somehow Sam had expected something more from her. She would've even been content with a snide remark about Danny, something truly offensive because at least then Sam wouldn't be left with this strange and awkward emptiness.

She didn't want to get up and go yet, there had to be something. Anything that could help her find him and if not him someone who knew where he was. "So...is this like...your home or something?" Ember didn't reply. "It's kinda open."

"I have a door. I just play here, it's peaceful." And they stayed in silence while Ember played her wordless melancholy song, it felt like forever, but Sam was enjoying the music. They didn't speak again as the song played on as though it would never end.

Soon the ghostly rocker ended the music and coolly and quietly got up and began walking toward the gravestone across the field, she walked very fast that Sam had to run to catch up.

"Look, I really need help." Sam finally managed to fall into stride behind her.

Ember's boot began to drag until she finally came to a stop, Sam panting behind her. She shook her head for a moment and continued to walk leaving Sam staring blankly after her. "So that's it, you're just gonna keep walking?"

"Look kid, people lose loved ones, that's life. And I'm not the one to help you." She looked over her shoulder. "And I'm not going to fight you, like I said it wouldn't be worth it."

Sam laughed bitterly as to taunt the ghost, once again for some strange reason beyond her own knowledge. "I always figured you were a coward."

The ghost stopped at the gravestone and her shoulders tensed, her blue fiery hair flickered dangerously. Ember turned around fully and stared at Sam with fierce green eyes, but she was not planning on even touching the girl. "I'm not the one who's running from their problems. Either accept reality or don't, but leave me out of your issues."

And with that she completely disappeared into a pale blue puff of mist that crashed into the head of the stone and was gone completely. That was where, Sam figured, her "home", for lack of a better word, was.

"My goodness she was in quite a hurry." A voice remarked calmly from behind her.

Sam did not waste any time to catch it this time. And it made no movement to hide, as if there were a place to hide. And there it was her tormentor, that voice. And she nearly laughed at herself for being so terrified of a simple cat, it was no bigger than an ordinary cat and would be free to roam the streets had it not been for the odd discoloration of its fur or it's very dead appearance.

It had blue and black fur patterned in an uneven stripe formation. The only thing frightening about it was that its flesh had rotted around the mouth leaving it's mouth in a permanent eerie smile. Its tail was crooked with some exposed bone. And the cat appeared to be missing small patches of fur all over its body.

But it wasn't ugly. At least, she didn't think it was. The cat was sitting upright; its skinny almost skeletal body was sleek and almost elegant looking. Its tail batted from side to side and its deep green eyes stared into hers. Well she supposed most people might think it was rather disgusting maybe even scary.

"So it was you all along that's been following me?" She asked and it gave her a look. "How did you get here?"

"I jumped of course." He replied casually and once again Sam almost laughed, if they could see her now talking to a cat, Cujo didn't even talk.

"Why are you following me?" Sam queried.

"No reason of course, although I suppose it doesn't really matter what I do anymore anyway." If the term had made any sense Sam had completely lost him, the cat was rather strange when it talked. Smoothly, yet there was this strange sort of confusion that cat seemed to hold over its own words.

She brushed her pants off realizing she must've looked like a wreck since landing on this plateau and sitting in the grass. "Look, I'm looking for a friend of mine who disappeared, I suspect he's here. Have you seen him?" She asked reaching into her pocket and withdrawing two photos.

She kneeled beside the cat and held them up, one of Fenton one of Phantom. His orange eyes stared at each one thoughtfully; from time to time they would dart back and forth between the photos. His tail twisted up to his legs and he shook his head. "How do you know what he looks like anymore if you haven't seen him?" The cat asked.

Sam blinked at the spirit and thought about it. Of course she didn't know what Danny looked like that's why she'd brought two pictures one of his ghost half the other of his human half. Either way he'd have to look like one of them in some way, shape, or form.

"Well he should look similar to one of both of these pictures, I think." Sam looked at the animal hard

What the hell did this cat know that she didn't, maybe nothing or maybe everything. "Why would I listen to you, I don't think you even have a sense of reality." She stated firmly, nothing was going to make her doubt herself over Danny.

The cat seemed as though it was playing with the grass with its front paws and she glared at it impatiently. It looked up with its smile and replied. "Even if it turns out that I'm making everything up, at least what you have left can be enjoyed as a story."

"I don't want a story, I want the truth. Now you told me to come down here and it was useless. How do I move around here without ghost powers?"

"So many questions so little answers. You may call me Cordura if you like or if you know what you want." He said happily although his voice was so much darker that his cheeriness could easily be mistaken for satire. "Just know, you can get anywhere you want to if you walk long enough." And he was gone, but he left the imprinted image of his macabre grin fresh in her mind.

Sam shook her head and walked away. She soon found herself out of the valley and back on the rocky crags that surrounded Ember's domain. Sam's boots made for a perfect grips as she made her way over the many rocks and gaps between them. From time to time to get over some of the larger disfigured rocks Sam would have to use her hands as well to grip them.

Finally after what felt like hours of strenuous work she'd made it to the edge and this time Sam had time to think about what she would. She could jump again, but run the risk of landing on something dangerous. She'd been more than lucky that'd she'd landed in a clear area amongst all the rocks.

"Stupid cat..." Sam mumbled as she looked over the ledge. "I know what I want." She looked around, how far would she fall, how far did she fall anyway?

Looking up the girl did not see an over hanging ledge that she imagined was only a few hundred feet away. It wasn't, she squinted her eyes and thought maybe she saw the underside of one but she didn't know. She felt sick and confused and completely unsure of the dynamics of the Ghost Zone.

What would she do now? The wonder of how far and vast the Ghost Zone reached was prominent in her mind. Could she fall till she reached the bottom and further more what was at the bottom? Sam sat down on the ledge hanging her feet freely off she realized how foolish she was to come here.

She hadn't anticipated the Specter Speeder to crash but she should've it wasn't like she could just keep walking into thin air around here. She wished she'd never come, maybe she should've been like everyone else and just accept that Danny died and that was that. But no, not Sam Manson, she needed to know everything and she inwardly reprimanded herself endlessly.

Beside her a disgusting set of sharp teeth appeared, she tensed and pulled back putting a hand up ready to shield herself. Within a matter of seconds two eyes then a head became visible followed by the rest of the body of the cat. Now what was his name, Cordura was it?

"It's a fun trick, don't you think?"

"Oh...it's you."

The cat looked at her swishing it's tail back and forth calmly it's deep but lifeless eyes gazed up at her with the utmost respect. "I am deeply sorry if I pose as a nuisance to you Miss."

Sam sighed slumping her shoulders. "No, no it's just...I'm really lost."

The cat crawled into her lap purring softly. "We are all lost here; this is why we are here." Cordura said in a matter-of-factly way.

Sam began to pet him absent-mindedly, his fur was soft where it had not fallen off or was clumped. She felt as though he'd just risen from the grave. And although his was very bony and almost skeletal she took comfort in his willing companionship and, she figured, she'd grow accustomed to the hideous grin on his face.

"Why do you follow me?" Sam asked the animal freely.

His emerald eyes looked into hers and it looked as though his smile had grown wider. "I think we both could use a friend."

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_Aww we get to meet the voice, yes he's a cat. I'm so original._


	4. Chapter 4 The Otherside of the Glass

_But it's no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then._

_(Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)_

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Like it or not, Sam decided to like it, the cat had become a permanent part of her search. She knew Cordura would follow her no matter where she went and she realized this as she began exploring the out reaches of Ember's domain, a reminiscent of a rocky seaside on Earth. He'd bound behind her from rock to rock and methodically disappear and reappear wherever and whenever he pleased.

Sam would laugh from time to time at him, he bore a striking resemblance to a beloved childhood dream. Cordura was often like the Cheshire Cat and the more she watched him the more she saw it. Though, Lewis Carroll never did imagine such a grotesque image for the character and would probably be beside himself to see Cordura.

It didn't really matter how very creepy Cordura appeared, because she always wanted a cat. Her mother had always been so allergic to them that she'd never been given the chance. Sam found herself becoming more and more accepting of the idea of him following her around, being her friend.

She had to wonder what the animal would do once she decided to leave the Ghost Zone; she wondered if he'd follow her home and become a permanent haunt. She wasn't sure, for now though she was enjoying the company he seemed to take her mind off her troubles.

But she couldn't forget them entirely. And she was becoming extremely aggravated that she'd forget about her search for Danny from time to time. It was striking that Sam didn't let it consume her like it should've, especially since she'd found her way into the Ghost Zone and gone through all the trouble to find him. How could she even begin to forget?

This wasn't about Ember, or Cordura, or her, this was about Danny. Sam stared off into the reaches of the Ghost Zone the deep black sky was still so very foreign to her. Every so often ghosts would drift by and far away and Sam watched them hoping Danny didn't share the same gloomy fate.

It must've been hours that she stood there watching them when she saw a familiar face. She felt a tinge of excitement grow inside her and she began waving her hand happily. Perhaps there was still some hope in this seemingly fruitless journey.

"Dora, hey Dora!" She called moving closer to the ledge. The ghost would have to hear her or see her somehow she'd draw her attention.

If curiosity killed the cat and the cat was already dead, well then his curiosity could only kill again. Cordura felt her excitement and weaved in between her legs catching Sam off guard. She stumbled forward only a an inch but unfortunately it was far enough for her to stumble off the ledge. Luckily, before she began to fall far away from the area two pasty blue hands caught her.

"Sam? Whatever are you doing here?" Dora asked pulling Sam up to her level so that the girl was actually standing where the ghost was floating.

Sam craned her head to get a good look at herself actually standing on thin air, or whatever it was that the Ghost Zone was composed of. "Don't look." Dora warned and Sam snapped her eyes right back to Dora. "Don't think about it, that's how it works here."

Weird, things were just weird here. "So Sam, what are you doing here and all alone too?" The ghost asked letting go of Sam's hands and letting the girl get a feel for herself.

Alone, those words hurt more than the ghost princess would know it made her seem so small. It seemed as though every ghost knew that Sam had been without Danny, was it really that noticeable? "Have you seen Danny around here at all?" Sam asked with a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I'm sorry, not a sign of the ghost boy. And I've been combing the Ghost Zone rather carefully."

Sam sighed in disappointment. "So what are you looking for?" She asked, maybe her searching would make her overlook the inhabitants and possibly overlook Danny's presence. Hope, all she could do was hope now, and if she was wrong then there was nothing left to be done.

Dora smiled nervously. "I'm looking for Prince Aragon. He sent himself into banishment shortly after I retook the Medieval Realm." She answered in a meek voice.

"What why? He treats you like a doormat, why the hell would you want to find him?" Sam cried.

The ghost shook her head and began to play with her long blond braid. "Well...he is still my brother and the only family I have here. He may be a pompous jerk but it's a dreadful thing to spend eternity alone." She paused and gazed off for a moment. "Well, at least for some of us."

Sam nodded in slight agreement, she wasn't sure if she'd ever get that lonely. But she'd never experienced that depth of loneliness before. Besides even though most of the ghosts were solitary some of them did really love any sort of companionship, like Klemper and even the odd cat who had taken to her.

"I think...I think I'm just going to go home." Sam said quietly, feeling like somewhere the little hope she had died out. All the rest would follow she was sure. "Do you know where Clockwork resides?"

The ghost thought for a moment then jerked a finger behind her. "I'm almost certain he lives in that direction, it's a huge castle like structure adorned in clocks. You can't miss it. Good luck Sam."

"Yeah same for you Dora, I do hope you find your brother."

And just like that the two girls parted ways, there was nothing left for them to say to each other. Dora drifted off in one way and Sam took nervous clumsy steps in the other. It was very awkward, walking where there was no ground or clear path. But Dora had told her to banish it from her mind so Sam began thinking of strange random things.

Eventually she found herself thinking about Danny. Was she so wrong that he was actually alive? Had all those feelings of him still being out there somewhere true? Was it entirely possible that his appearance changed so drastically that maybe none of the ghosts recognized his spirit? Or was there another place the dead went, heaven and hell where they even real, was this a sort of purgatory? What _was_ the Ghost Zone for?

"There's no explanation because none of us really know either. Some days some spirits just disappear and we don't know why, but the Ghost Zone is vast, possibly endless. So no one is entirely sure." Cordura chimed in as he trotted along side her.

Sam narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay I'm willing to forgive the vanishing acts but reading my mind..."

"I don't." The ghost said. "It's in your body language, I can sense these things."

She didn't question him she simply walked on. Her heart aching for Danny now more than ever, he'd guide her safely home, he'd comfort her. And while the cat did his best, she just didn't fully understand him, not like she understood Danny. She wondered and was beginning to believe that he was still alive that he had not found his place amoung the dead.

Why else would two ghosts not have seen him? To be fair, it was entirely possible that others had but still, if not Ember than Dora since Dora had been searching for a specific ghost which would mean she'd have to see faces, ask questions, and go around quite a lot. Danny was rather popular in the Ghost Zone, who here wouldn't want a chance to berate and devastate the powerful half-ghost.

"It's all about perception my dear," The cat began. She was about to question him but he continued on before she could. "You see this place is only as scary, as endless, and as wonderful as you want to see it. For some it is terrifying and so are the creatures here, they choose solitude. And for others the Ghost Zone is a beautiful landscape of the unimaginable."

"How could this be? I mean, honestly if everyone saw something different you couldn't all even attempt to co-exist." Sam argued, knowing very well that if she'd been wrong through this entire trip this was the time she knew she was right.

The cat looked up with the grin. "It's all dependent on your state of mind upon entering."

Sam was trying to wonder where this lecture was coming from and why. It made sense for once, but she wasn't sure why that sort of statement would even remotely pertain to her. Sure she was confused about the Ghost Zone but what he said only really applied to ghosts. Perhaps he was admitting he was actually very scared being here, and was trying to thank her for being good company.

The roar of a motorcycle suddenly erupted behind her breaking her thoughts. "Oh no..." Sam groaned she looked beside her to see that Cordura had disappeared, again. She sped up her pace to try and gain some distance it didn't matter if this was futile Sam needed to do something.

A black shadow leapt up in front of her stopping Sam in her tracks, she stood still and put on her best glare. Within a matter of seconds Johnny was doing donuts around her. "Johnny, leave her alone already." Kitty yelled smacking the back of Johnny's head.

The teenaged rebel pulled his bike up next to Sam. "Damn girl, you're looking hot now." He remarked taking in Sam's hourglass figure that she'd gained over the years. And she had to figure that the tube top she was adorning wasn't very chaste either. Sam backed away with a sneer.

"Johnny!" Kitty reprimanded hitting him again. He rubbed the back of his head and shot a look at the green haired biker chick behind him. "Oh Sam, we're so sorry to hear about the..." She dropped her voice. "Accident."

The girl gave Kitty a strange look. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"It's okay sweetie, it's a part of life, we all had to deal with it at some point." Kitty nudged Johnny with her elbow sharply, a sign for him to chime in.

"Uh..wha?" Johnny sputtered lifting his head from his hand looking much like Danny use to when Lancer used to prod him awake after he'd doze of in class. "Oh yeah, right. Sorry dude...girl...Sam." He said. "Come on Kitty we're gonna be late."

"Well our deepest condolences." Kitty said again as Johnny revved up the engine on his bike, shadow placed directly beneath them. Sam stood there completely and utterly confused.

"Yeah see ya around." Johnny called as he raced off.

"Yeah right." Sam retorted to them even though they were no longer near her. What were they talking about, what accident? If they thought she was sticking around they were greatly mistaken. Although she was shaken to the bone on their sudden sympathy for her, an enemy.

There was something unsettling in the Ghost Zone that Kitty, Johnny, and Ember all knew and she didn't. The only reason she figured that Dora hadn't know is that the ghostly princess had a habit of being caught up in her own self-pity, it was a damn shame to because Dora would've been the ghost to ask.

What had happened to her that would make them all treat her respectively? Why did Kitty treat her like a friend, why did Ember decline to fight? It was all becoming a massive migraine for her. The only thing she could wrap her mind around was that _something_ was terribly wrong.

Sam walked on, she seemed to be doing it a lot, but she continued on the non-existent ground. And as if on cue Cordura eventaully had taken stride alongside her. They walked together in silence; Skulker passed her by but seemed utterly uninterested in her and much more enthused with whatever he was chasing.

That was very unsettling to Sam; surely he of all ghosts would've taken a shot at her. Anything to get his priceless ghost boy, although if Danny had died then his value most definitely decreased. Sam sighed, maybe Danny was gone, and perhaps that was what Kitty and Johnny were talking about.

But did they know what happened to him? Sam gulped, what if was something horrible, something so unspeakable and they thought she was there? It was plausible and maybe that's why Skulker had no need for her, it'd be useless to lure a dead Danny out of hiding. That was when something Sam had hardly wondered suddenly popped into her head.

What was dead Danny like? Was he a sad gloomy depressing creature, a vicious unremorseful killer, a reckless ghost with the devil-may-care attitude, or just Danny? Was he even remotely close to what he used to look like? It frightened her, she'd never ever thought about what Danny, her Danny, would be like without any life left in his body.

Sam had to wonder if it would be devastating for her to find out for herself.

She shook the thoughts from her mind as Cordura broke the silence. "Awful lot of clocks for a place with no real time." He remarked green eyes transfixed on the castle like structure with odd filigree stretching out from every angle as if reaching toward something unreachable.

"Well he is the Master of Time." She responded softly and took very slow almost cautionary steps forward. This was his territory and Sam had nothing but respect for Clockwork.

She walked through the open door and into a grand hallway, the padding of the cat's claws and her own boots against the marble echoed sharply. Sam lost all her composure and slumped her shoulders; she wasn't sure what to say when she saw him. She'd only ever met Clockwork once, in a misunderstanding. And although Danny eventually told them the tale of the alternate timeline he'd lived through she still couldn't get a feel for a benevolent Time Master.

"Hello?" She called in a very quiet voice. Another door opened up and Sam walked through it and entered a large room adorned with clocks and what looked like screens. She remembered this place on all the walls there were gears spinning and ticking and on the far wall there was a large screen, she looked and noticed it'd played something.

She walked up to it with tears in her eyes, it was Tucker. He looked tired, drained really as he was driving alone. A picture of herself, Danny, and him dangled from his rear view mirror, now that hadn't been there before.

"Now there's a sad image." Her ghostly friend said as her appeared balancing across her shoulders like a scarf with claws.

"Yeah he looks so...depressed." Sam answered as she stared at his features. He looked like all the world had crashed on his shoulder, kind of like after Danny died. "How long have I been gone?" She whispered her hand almost reached uo to caress the image.

"Longer than you know." A deep voice answered and Sam turned around, the cat vanished.

A ghost with soft red eyes was winding his time staff as he floated behind her, rhythmically changing his form. "Sam, I knew you'd come. But then again I know everything." He smirked at her.

"Clockwork, you've got to send me home, I know he's worried about me. They all must be." Sam explained not even bothering with a greeting. "I mean, I don't even know how long I've been here."

Clockwork stopped winding and held the time staff in one hand and looked at a wrist watch almost mockingly. "Three months, two weeks, and six days no cause for panic, they aren't worried."

It had really been that long? Sam wasn't even aware that her mouth hung open in disbelief, three months was so long, especially since it'd only felt like days ago Tucker had brought her to the Fenton's. "Ho-how are they not worried?" The question didn't matter to her as much as she thought it did.

Thoughts were speeding through her head, confusing her, scaring her. "Just send me home."

"I'd love to, except..."

"Except?" Sam queried, what could possible stop him? Honestly, from what she'd heard from Danny he could do anything.

Clockwork moved beside her and put a directing and compassionate hand on her shoulder. "Perhaps you would like to take a look at yourself in that mirror over there." He pointed a finger toward a piece of glass on the far side of the room.

She felt sick, seeing the reflecting glass glint on some foreign light in the room. It looked rather pretty though, like a blue twinkling wink. Sam walked forward, Cordura under feet.

"Alright, but I can hardly see why appearance has anything to do...with..." Sam's words died on her lips as she got an eye full of herself.

No, that wasn't her, that sad thing on the other side of the glass, wasn't her, it had to be the lighting, it had to be her fatigue. It couldn't be real perhaps an illusion. She put a hand up to touch the somber reflection when it did exactly as she did, she confirmed her fears.

Tears streaked down her face as she fell to her knees. "I assumed you were aware." The cat whispered beside her as she clutched her sides trying to hold herself. He stared into her pale violet eyes with his fiery emerald ones and she stared forward into the pale violet ones as well.

"No..."

* * *

_Yes, did I mention this is a short story, the next chapter is the last. Anyway, this chapter is my favorite and my most hated, there are parts I absolutely love and other parts I just cannot stand but are much more nesseccary then I care to admit. So with that, can anyone guess what the cat's name actually means?_


	5. Chapter 5 Hello Goodbye

_Long has paled that sunny sky:  
Echoes fade and memories die:  
Autumn frosts have slain July.  
Still she haunts me, phantomwise  
Alice moving under skies  
Never seen by waking eyes._

_(Epilouge to Through The Looking Glass)_

_

* * *

_

"Come on Tucker we can't sit here every weekend staring at each other like a bunch of dumbstruck idiots." Jazz urged rubbing his knee. "I mean we've got to get out, maybe see a movie?"

Tucker sighed as her repositioned himself on the chair. "I don't know, maybe." She was right, Jazz was always right and even though the sickness never left the pit of his stomach he knew that he would have to let it pass. Or at least not let it control his life, he'd have to do something. But he still felt sick.

Maddie hurried by them towards the kitchen to get to the faint ringing sound. She had lost some of her youthful looks since the past few years; they'd really taken a toll on her. But she maintained her personality and her optimism. She picked the phone off the receiver and answered it in her normal chipper greeting.

"Mrs. Fenton, this Amity Park Police Department we have some very exciting news regarding your missing son, Daniel Fenton." A professional sounding man said.

Maddie's breath hitched. "Yes?" She squeaked, was this the call they'd been waiting for, were they going to tell her that they had found her son's body?

"He has been found, alive. He's here with us right now. Would you like to speak with him?"

Maddie wasn't sure how bright her face become or why the tears wouldn't stop flowing. "Jack!" She shouted her hand over the receiver. "Jack it's Danny!" Everyone in the house raced to the kitchen and Maddie placed the phone on speaker, the anticipation that filled the room was unbearable as the sound of a phone being handed off was heard.

"Mom?" The voice was quiet, unsure but they could all hear the smile.

"Danny, oh my Danny." The mother whispered holding the phone; tears were running down her face. Jack's eyes were sparkling and Tucker and Jazz were holding each others hands in utter joy.

"Danny boy, we've missed you so much." Jack spoke with a slight shake in his voice.

"I know. I've missed you all so much, and I'll be home really soon." There was a strange sort of new depth to his voice, it sounded as though he were very excited but it was drowned down by something else.

The room was filled with anticipation, tears of joy and absolute shock. Danny was alive, not only alive but talking and he'd be there soon. Any minute really, Maddie and Jack held each other as soon as she hung up the phone. They rejoiced that their son, their only boy was about to be returned safely to them.

Twenty, thirty minutes, it didn't matter how long they'd waited because on the door there was a gentle rapping. Excitement led the parents in a race to the door; Jack was able to swing the door open first to reveal a very scrawny looking boy, a cop car pulling away behind him. No one moved as they all stared, everyone had changed so much that it was a sudden shell shock to realize it.

Danny was the most changed of them all, he now towered over Jazz and his mother, and it was just as plain as day even with him standing on the doorstep. His body was much too scrawny and his face was sunken in and plagued with strange scars that would never heal. His hair was shaggy and had grown out longer it almost covered an angry scar that went across his left eye.

They all stared at each other awkwardly; Danny hadn't even completely entered the house. It was as though a ghost was standing on the step and for Danny it was as though it were just another dream. It couldn't have been real, none of them quite believed it, no one moved so they wouldn't break this sweet dream.

Jack was the first to finally make the move and he immediately wrapped his son into his arms for the first time in years. It was a bit of a snatching motion as he dragged him in so that the door could close and he could be sure that nothing could get him now.

"Dad." It was so real, so much more striking then on the phone. This was his voice, coming from him, and he could finally feel him alive and safe.

Maddie advanced in and held onto her son along with her husband, tears were streaming, small words were exchanged. When his parents finally let him go, Jazz advanced forward she stood before her brother, much older now and gave him a soft smile.

"Danny." She acknowledged tears of joy brimming in her turquoise eyes.

They both stepped forward shared a hug and finally the older sister could hold her little brother in what seemed like decades. And he was safe, nothing could ever denounce that, nothing. It was strange, as if a strange emptiness was suddenly filled up with those few moments. It almost brought her to her knees.

Finally the family had greeted Danny, Tucker stood off letting them all have their family moment, and it wasn't until blue eyes caught his own. Tucker gulped and moved forward, his past standing before him, at perfect eye level. And it hurt, he thought he'd be happy but it hurt.

Would he lose him again? What was the point of letting yourself care so much about people if all you get when you lose them is pain? And besides, who's to say that their friendship would ever be the same.

But throwing male caution and pride to the wind Tucker immediately denied the outstretched hand Danny had presented almost awkwardly and wrapped his raven haired friend in a tight hug. And Danny held back and finally the smile found its way on Tucker's face. "It's been too long." Tucker muttered; his decision was made, he wanted his friend.

"I know." Danny returned.

It took them all a while to get over the tears and hugs and basic expression of happiness and sadness all at once. And eventually the welcoming moved into the living room where everyone settled in nice and tightly on the couch, no one wanting to be very far from Danny. And now it was the time for the question that had remained a mystery for years. Where had he been?

None of the family could remember who exactly asked it, but Danny began answering. "Mom dad, I-I'm Danny Phantom." He gulped hard, knowing he'd only just been returned to them and was risking never seeing them again or even being thought crazy by his parents. What should've been shock were only soft smiles.

Maddie reached over and touched his hand. "We know dear, your sister told us, everything." She paused and looked to Jack who had his arm over the boy's shoulders. "And we've accepted this."

Silence before a smile, "Good, because this story would make no sense if you didn't know that. You see it all started after a ghost fight..."

It had been a long story of a thirty year old man who'd seen Danny transform after a battle and secretly followed him until after one fateful night he captured Danny after a very dangerous ghost fight. Wounded and barely conscious he couldn't fight the man off even though he wanted to. And he soon found himself taking up residence with this man in his ghost proof basement.

A discharged GIW operative, Darren, or D. He had enough ghost know-how and plenty of weaponry, either stolen or given to him, that filled his basement. He was obsessed with this new concept of a human-ghost hybrid, alive and dead. The ultimate paradox and he wanted it. Of course Danny paid, spending more than half his waking hours in torturing and questioning.

Strangled breaths shook Danny's body as he explained very lightly of some of the horrors D would inflict upon him. He left out many details, he'd never tell them of the frequent nights where he could barely breathe and wondered why he bothered. Or the days where he swore if he could get his hands on a weapon, he'd take his life with it. No, they needn't know that.

The scars on his face gave an indicator of the suffering and they all guessed that the rest of his body was probably covered with others that were probably much worse. He continued to explain that as the months passed D became less and less of a sadistic torturer.

Eventually they ended up talking, Danny was not to speak but D would tell him of his life and all it's wretchedness. His loss of his fiancée, his eventual downward spiral with alcoholism, and ultimately the loss of the only other thing that mattered to him, his job. The torture went on, but less frequently, Danny was fed more, and listened quietly. This went on for a two years until finally the day came when D turned the conversation onto Danny.

Danny gave little information, never telling him names to protect his family and friends. He was able to tell a few things a day, like his enjoyment of the green grass on a warm day. And eventually the horrible mind numbing torture dulled down to a minimum, some days D didn't even have it in him.

After a steady routine of this it finally came the day when D asked Danny what he really missed. Danny explained his love for a beautiful girl, his admiration for a loyal sister, his pride for his parents, and his joy that came from a quirky best friend. Even without the names D broke down, saying he'd never even asked Danny his name.

Finally, drunken remorse gave way to freedom. He opened up the door let down the ghost barriers and told Danny to run. Although most of his body was still very hurt and needed help, Danny ran. Never looking back even when he heard a gunshot ring out behind him, he knew what D had done.

Danny's hands trembled as he told the story and did so even after a few minutes of silence passed between them all as everyone seemed to be drinking up his words. They all seemed to be trying to comprehend why Danny had to experience such a thing, kidnapped, the last thing they ever expected.

"Danny, I promise we'll do everything we can for you." Jazz began as she moved to kneel in front of him and hold his hands. "Nothing will ever happen like this again. Little brother, you're safe."

Danny nodded and smiled. Talking continued on for hours, and no one seemed to care that it was now one in the morning. After a few laughs and bright smiles Danny settled down and looked to Tucker. "Hey, where's Sam? I know she missed me, and I know she'll flip if I call her to come over. I really want to see her."

Suddenly all the smiles faded and Tucker winced. "Oh Danny..." He whispered looking sadly into confused blue eyes. "She would've wanted to see you too."

"Would've?"

---------------

It was chilly when Danny ventured to the cemetery, flowers tight in his hands. It'd been a hard the night before, he never imagined this was where he'd go to see his best friend and dream crush girl. Tucker was all broken up when he finally explained where Sam was and they all stressed even before the story started that he not ever blame himself.

An accident, it had been an accident. She was in the lab when the Specter Speeder exploded; no one knew if she was in it or had intentions to use it. It had been unstable for a few months and Jack had been trying to tweak it but had never gotten it right, so why what happened occurred they could never tell. What they did know was she was close enough that when it did explode that she died instantly. Tucker didn't tell Danny that he knew she was going to, but Danny was smart enough to know exactly what happened.

She was going to look for him. There was no other way around it; she was going to find him in the Ghost Zone. And he was completely wracked with guilt about a lot of things, but mostly because he couldn't even give her the one thing she died for. To see him.

"I'm sorry Sam," He whispered as he kneeled at the stone, planting the dark red roses onto the cool ground beneath it. "I wish I could've been there for you...I know you needed me." He paused. "I loved you, and I think I always will."

But just because he felt that way, he knew he'd have to let her go. If not only because it would give her peace but because he knew it would give him solace.

All his dreams shattered when Tucker had to tell him, and he let the onset of greif flow over him. All those nights spent curled up, broken and bleeding, just dreaming of all the warmth of his Sam. Just imagining when he could finally press his lips to hers freely, when he could hold her close and call her his own.

They were gone and swept away like ashes in the wind. Those were over, she was gone, and there was nothing he could've ever done. Sam, his lovely Sam was gone, and he'd have to cut that away. All that was left were his memories of her. It hurt, his heart was broken, and he could admit that.

Danny eventually got to his feet and looked down, digging his hands into the pockets of his gray jacket as if that would calm the aching in his heart. His hair became a disarray in the cold November wind and soon after staring aimless down he walked away scuffing his feet that felt so heavy.

He took with him slight comfort in the fact that one day he might see her again, on the other side. No matter how very impossible that might be, he was going to take that with him.

* * *

_Yeah, the end. Anyway, the cat's name is actually spanish for sanity. So if you translate it into the story it's actually pretty funny to read. I knew many of you would guess Danny, why,:singsong voice: because I did that on purpose. Anyway thank you all for reading and such, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it._


End file.
